Behind the Reel: Gavin Strange

This is my latest showreel, fresh off the virtual press! I’m really proud of this reel, as I feel it encapsulates me and my work just right. It’s bright, fun and hopefully entertaining – all the values I endeavour to feature in my work!

There’s a broad selection of work here; from my emotional stop-frame/CGI film ‘Turtle Journey’ for Greenpeace, to the glowing motion graphics title sequence for Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon. There’s also more experimental creations in here too: audio-reactive visualisations for my musical alter ego ‘Project Toy’ and a dark and brooding music video for rapper P.O.S.

For me it’s important that my reel is a mixture of styles and tones. I love the challenge of working in a different way, in a different medium, that’s where the excitement lies. I want my work to have heart and soul, fun and energy at its core. The style can change, the technique can change, but those principles remain key.

As I wanted this reel to really reflect every aspect of me, I designed and animated the intro sting featuring the ‘jam factory’, which is my creative alter-ego I’ve used for nearly 20 years. It began as an outlet for me to share and post the creative things I was experimenting with in the wee hours, and I still continue to use it in the same way. It’s my digital home, now split across many different social platforms. An umbrella for my creative work, whether inside the walls of Aardman or out.

Lastly, I’m proud to have made the music too. I wanted it to be loud and punchy, to compliment the energy I want to convey in my work. To top it off, I sampled my 3-year-old son saying “Gavin Strange Jamfactory Showreel” and cut that up across the animated intro, to really make it a family affair!

So there we are, the story behind the reel. I really hope you enjoy it.

– Gav